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The NRSC gives a thumbs-up to Indiana hardliner after former Gov. Mitch Daniels passes on Senate bid [1]

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Date: 2023-01-31  

Daniels, though, called off the troops this week while insisting he wasn’t waving the white flag. “I have never imagined that I would be well-suited to legislative office, particularly where seniority remains a significant factor in one’s effectiveness, and I saw nothing in my recent explorations that altered that view,” said Daniels, who also decided not to run for president more than a decade ago.

Banks, a conservative hardliner with a long history of opposing abortion rights and attacking trans people, launched his own campaign two weeks before Daniels made up his mind, and Daines rewarded his head start Tuesday with his laudatory statement. The NRSC has been reluctant to take sides in contested open seat primaries since the 2010 cycle, when it infuriated the emerging tea party with a series of ill-fated endorsements that included, but was not limited to, then-Florida Republican Charlie Crist.

The last NRSC chair, Rick Scott, stubbornly remained neutral last year even as allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spent millions to block weak candidates in primaries. Daines, though, has made it clear he’d adopt a different strategy, saying in December, “We want to make sure we have candidates that can win general elections.” It’s not clear, though, why Daines felt he had to deter any opponents for Banks in Indiana, a state Trump took 57-41 in 2020 and where no notable Democrats have expressed interest in running for the Senate.

It also remains to be seen if other would-be GOP candidates take the hint. Rep. Victoria Spartz responded to Daniels’ decision by telling IndyStar, “I am going to fully concentrate this quarter on getting things done in the House and moving the needle on fixing health care, which I ran on … I will have to make my decision on what I am doing next politically later.” Gov. Eric Holcomb, a former top aide to Daniels who has his own conflicts with the base, also didn’t rule out a Senate run earlier this year, while former Rep. Trey Hollingsworth reportedly has also been considering.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/31/2150364/-The-NRSC-gives-a-thumbs-up-to-Indiana-hardliner-after-former-Gov-Mitch-Daniels-passes-on-Senate-bid

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